Tuesday, January 24, 2012

MUFON Changes Directors -- Again

Once again the leadership of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) is changing. Clifford Cliff, citing a need for more family time, announced that he was handing over the reigns of the organization to David MacDonald on February 1. MacDonald is a current board member and the Kentucky State Director, Assistant Director of Investigations, is the STAR Team Administrator and does the testing of new field investigators.

MUFON began as the Midwest UFO Network in 1969 and part of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization. When then director Walt Andrus moved to Texas, the organization went with him and evolved into the Mutual UFO Network.

Andrus directed the organization for decades, finally handing the directorship to John Schuessler. From that point, the leadership passed through several hands, and now is about to be taken by MacDonald.

MacDonald is moving MUFON Headquarters from Colorado to Cincinnati, Ohio. MacDonald, who said he was excited about taking over, said that the headquarters would be more easily accessible to the membership. Cincinnati is within six hours of about 60% of the United States.

in my opinion these sudden changes reflect a decline after James clarion divorce: but it was a divorce, a bad divorce, or a "coup d'etat"?Sarge, your question got straight to the point: who detains Mufon's files?

For some real insight into the serious problems and scandals MUFON has recently undergone (which I suspect is at least in part why the International Director position has once again been changed to yet another new guy), see former MUFON International Director James Carrion's belated revelations about internal machinations at MUFON HQ, as noted in the last 5 posts to his blog, at:

followthemagicthread.blogspot.com

While somewhat self-serving and a tad biased, Carrion's posts will provide some clues to the turmoil within and continuing decline of MUFON as either an objective or scientific UFO research organization.

The new international director faces a plethora of dilemmas and deep challenges to the viability of MUFON. I wish him luck, since he'll need it, and much more, to say the least.

I get the feeling Kevin may not wish to opine on the issues James Carrion's blog posts raise for a variety of reasons, but it would be interesting if he offered his current opinion of MUFON's future prospects, given its recent history.

But, in reference to your mention of a "famous entrepreneur," one can only assume you refer to Robert T. Bigelow, billionaire owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain and founder of Bigelow Aerospace, and a curious subsidiary organization known as Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS).

I'm surprised the contracted relationship between MUFON and BAASS has not received more serious attention, as I suspect it is MUFON's biggest liability and greatest error in judgement in MUFON's efforts to obtain funding, via BAASS, and which back-fired very badly, further impugning MUFON's already rather soiled reputation.

I have read Currion's blog, of course, and follow, to some extent, the various changes in MUFON at various levels... I am not as versed in the internal politics as I could be and therefore attempt to only provide some information about the change at the top. Those who wish to learn more have a variety of sources available to them, some of them mentioned in postings here.